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Application of Cognitive Processes-Based Intervention Programs in Reading & Math for Children with Learning Disabilities

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

Cognitively focused remediation starts from the premise that each child has an enormous potential for learning. Cognitive training is central to such intervention programs. PREP, COGENT, and MATH are research-based intervention programs in Reading and Math for Children with Learning Disabilities that were created by Dr. J. P. Das, a world-renowned expert in intelligence, cognitive processes, and learning disabilities. In this workshop, participants will have both a conceptual overview and a hands-on experience in learning the application of these 3 intervention programs.

PREP (PASS Reading Enhancement Program) is a remedial reading comprehension program for primary school-aged children who are experiencing difficulty with reading and spelling. Based on the PASS theory of Intelligence (Planning, Attention, Simultaneous and Successive Processing), PREP is designed to improve the information-processing strategies that underlie reading and reading comprehension while at the same time bypassing the direct teaching of reading skills.

COGENT (Cognitive Enhancement Training) is designed for the enhancement of cognition, phonological awareness, and language, especially linked to literacy and school learning. COGENT is designed for children ages 4 to 7 with normal and atypical developmental histories such as limited exposure to literacy, mild developmental delay, language impairment, at risk for developing dyslexia and other learning difficulties. COGENT can also be used as a continuing activity at home. It provides an alternative route toward the development of reading and associated academic skills.

Modules for Math has shown efficacy in improving core cognitive skills which are important for math proficiency. Designed for children in kindergarten to grade 2, the aim is to further develop and expand children’s innate mathematical capacity such as differentiation of size and number, use of working memory, and problem solving. Modules for Math is a hands-on approach to learning the foundations of math integrated with a rational base of mathematics in problem solving and computation.

Dr. J. P. Das, Ph.D., FRSC, CM is an educational psychologist and internationally well-recognized scholar in Intelligence and Cognitive Processes. Among his major contributions to psychology is the PASS (Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, and Successive) theory of intelligence. After he retired from teaching, the U of Alberta appointed him Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology and renamed the centre which he directed with distinction for 22 years in his honour as the J.P. Das Centre on Developmental & Learning Disabilities. He has authored and co-authored over a dozen books and contributed more than 300 research papers. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) in 1999 and named as a Member to the Order of Canada (CM) in 2015 for his contribution in field of Cognitive Psychology and Intellegence. His professional affiliations include: Fellow, Canadian Psychological Association (Elected); Fellow, American Psychological Association (Elected); Division 15 (Educational Psychology) and Division 33 (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorders), APA; Fellow, American Psychological Society; and Fellow, International Association for Research in Learning Disability (Elected). He has also received a doctorate (honoris causa) from U of Vigo, Spain in 2004, and U of Cyprus in 2015.

Oshawa Psychotherapy Training Institute is the training arm of a larger organization, Oshawa Psychological & Counselling Services that offers the most current training in the field of psychotherapy with a clinician-centred focus, meeting the complex practice needs of mental health practitioners. We are approved by the CPA to offer courses in various individual, couple, and family psychotherapy models, addressing a wide range of topics that clinicians may encounter in their practice. We are located in Oshawa, near Toronto, Ontario and also serve Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Peterborough and surrounding communities.